What you need to expect from cataract surgery

What you need to expect from cataract surgery

November 21, 2021

Cataract surgery is what you need the moment you notice that your vision gets cloudy. However, the first step you need to take is to visit a doctor to carry out a series of tests to know your eye condition. Cataract surgery is a common means of eradicating cataracts. Cataract surgery is the process of removing or eliminating the lens of your eyes and then replacing it with an artificial lens. 

The only way that is safe and perfect in removing a cataract is to undergo this surgery. Trust me; if you have a cataract and experience this process, you will see it again. If you have once found it challenging to do some daily activities like driving and reading, then you need to see your eye doctor tell you the necessary steps that you need to take. Click here to read more about cataract surgery in Sydney.

You might be wondering why you should have surgery. Of course, cataract surgery is not the only way to improve your vision if you are battling a cataract. In fact, there are some symptoms of cataract that doesn’t need surgery. Your doctor may suggest the usage of glasses to you. Not ordinary glasses, your doctor may prescribe a magnifying lens to serve as a corrective measure to your eyes. 

But the moment you notice that the symptoms of cataracts are growing in your eye, I think it requires much attention. You can just be using glasses and assume all is well. One of the symptoms you shouldn’t joke with is when you notice that your vision is blurred or dim.  Also, there’s a need to visit an eye specialist when you have double vision. That is when things turn double through the eye with the cataract. 

Then, you will find it so hard to read, work on the computer, and do things related to the usage of eyesight. Other symptoms of cataracts that call for more attention are when you begin to have poor night vision and can’t drive when it is dark. Therefore, with the above said words about the symptoms of cataracts, I hope you know that you will need more than glasses.

However, what are the things that are expected of you before doing cataract surgery?

Preparation

You don’t need to worry about how to prepare for cataract surgery. However, one needs to pay rapt attention here to know how to prepare for this surgery. Two weeks before the time of surgery, your doctor must have run some tests on your eyes to measure the size and shape of your eye. By doing this, they can choose the artificial lens that will suit them. Therefore, prepare yourself to undergo a series of tests. Then, you are expected not to eat or drink anything for nothing less than twelve hours before the surgery.

What happens during cataract surgery?

During this surgery, you will be awake. But the ophthalmologist will numb your eye with medicine so that you won’t feel the pain when the surgery is on. Also, at first, you may be given some medications that will help you to relax. However, the procedure usually takes up to forty-five minutes. The first thing the surgeon will do is to make a tiny cut in the front of your eye. Then, he will put in a small tool to break up the cataract and carefully pull it out. The following line of action is to put in the new lens. The new lens is made of plastic or silicone. Then, they will close the cut. This surgery won’t take the whole day. You don’t need to stay overnight in the hospital, but of course, you will need someone to take you home. What of the case of cataracts in the two eyes? The surgery must be done one after the other. The doctor must wait for some weeks to give the first eye the chance to heal correctly; then, he will proceed to the other one. 

What is the risk behind doing cataract surgery?

Although the chance of side effects is very slim in doing cataract surgery. But some complications may arise when the process is on. Some complications that …

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What are the types, causes, and symptoms of cataracts?

What are the types, causes, and symptoms of cataracts?

Initially, medical practitioners beliefs that one can have a cataract at the age of sixty and above. They came to this conclusion because cataracts were seen as a sign of old age. As a matter of fact, there has been some time that people think when a man or a woman complains about their eyes, they are assumed to have cataracts. Of course, the sign is there to date, but we want to tell you that some factors have contributed to the usage of our eyes nowadays. Therefore, cataracts are not only seen in aged ones alone. People can have cataracts right from their adolescent stage. 

What are we saying in essence? We want you to know that everyone is prone to get a cataract. However, knowing that cataract is a common condition in both older adults and youth, what are cataracts? A cataract is a solid, cloudy area that forms in the lens of the eye. It usually begins when proteins in the eye form clumps that prevent the lens from transferring clear images to the retina. The work of the retina is to convert the light that comes through the lens into signals. The retina sends signals to the optic nerve, which carries them to the brain. Cataracts develop gradually, and they will later affect one’s vision. And if the cataract has not been treated early, one might end up with it in both eyes. Then, the only remedy is to undergo cataract surgery. 

Cataract surgery eliminates or removes the natural lens of an eye that is affected and replaces it with an artificial lens. When the lens becomes cloudy and the vision is affected, cataract surgery brings an alternative. Meanwhile, cataract surgery is the only safe procedure to eradicate cataracts. Once you notice that your vision has been involved as a result of a cataract, then you need to visit an ophthalmologist for cataract surgery.

Causes and Types of cataracts

  1. Nuclear cataracts: This kind of cataract always requires cataract surgery. It is also called a sclerotic nuclear cataract. It is a situation whereby there’s a form in the center of the lens, which is known as the nucleus. Older adults who live long enough usually end up with this type of cataract. Nuclear cataracts also begin slowly, and as they get worse, your reading vision may improve. It is often called second sight. However, it doesn’t last long. Furthermore, the lens hardens and turns yellow. With a nuclear cataract, one may have difficulty seeing tiny things and colors get less rich.
  1. Cortical cataract: when you notice a shape on the outside edge of your lens, then you are battling with cortical cataracts. The form on the outer edge of your lens is called the cortex. They often begin as white wedges. It’s like triangles pointing towards the center of your eyes. Cortical scatter light as they grow. The only symptom of this kind of cataract is glare. One may find it challenging to do some nighttime activities like driving. Another sign of cortical cataracts is that they can make your vision hazy. Vision hazy will be like you are looking through a fog. Then, one will not be able to differentiate between colors that look similar. Not only that, one will not be able to judge the distance of an object. If you are battling this kind of eye problem, you need to visit your eye doctor for cataract surgery or other remedies. 
  1. Posterior subcapsular cataract: This kind of cataract is common among older adults. It is a situation whereby there’s a form inside the back of your lens capsule, the part of your eye that surrounds the lens and holds it in place. They are seen directly in the path of light as they pass through the lens. This kind of cataract is easy to eliminate than any other type of cataract. Also, its symptoms that appear within three months. If you have this cataract, your close-up vision will be affected, and you’ll not be able to see in bright light.
  1. Anterior subcapsular cataracts: This type of cataract forms inside the front of your lens capsule. It is caused mainly by
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